Ukraine says Russians will take one week to withdraw from Kherson

By Jonathan LandayView shows a building of a local school destroyed during a Russian missile attack in the village of Novooleksandrivka, in Kherson region© Thomson ReutersFRONTLINE NORTH OF KHERSON, Ukraine (Reuters) -Ukrainian troops pushed towards Kherson on Thursday, after Moscow ordered one of the war's biggest retreats, though Kyiv warned that Russian troops could still turn Kherson into a "city of death" and it would take them at least a week to withdraw.Civilians evacuated from the Russian-controlled part of Kherson region arrive in Dzhankoi© Thomson ReutersIn an interview in Kyiv Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Reuters that Russia had a contingent of 40,000 troops in Kherson region and intelligence showed its forces remained in the city, around the city and on the west bank of the vast Dnipro River.Civilians evacuated from the Russian-controlled part of Kherson region arrive in Dzhankoi© Thomson Reuters"It's not that easy to withdraw these troops from Kherson in one day or two days. As a minimum, (it will take) one week," he said.Reznikov added that such an exit would free up forces from both sides to fight elsewhere. The Russian army under General Sergei Surovikin appeared to have become more disciplined and brutal since his appointment as the new commander of Russia's invasion forces in October, he said.Earlier on Thursday, Ukraine's army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian troops had advanced 7 km (4.3 miles) in the past 24 hours and had recaptured 12 settlements in the south.A small group of Ukrainian soldiers was shown on Ukraine's state TV being greeted by joyous residents in the centre of the village of Snihurivka, around 55 km (35 miles) north of Kherson city, with a Ukrainian flag fluttering above the square behind them. Reuters verified the location of the video.